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AROUND 55 million people in West and Central Africa are expected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season between June and August 2026, the United Nations World Food Programme has warned, citing the latest regional food security analysis.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Friday, the WFP’s Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis, Jean Martin Bauer, said the figure includes people classified as being in crisis, emergency or catastrophe under the regional food security scale.
He said about three million people are projected to fall into the emergency category, double the level recorded in 2020.
For the first time in a decade, some areas of north-eastern Nigeria, particularly Borno State, are expected to see populations slipping into catastrophic levels of food insecurity, Bauer said.
“This is a group that is just one step away from famine,” he said, adding that an estimated 15,000 people in specific parts of Borno are affected.
He warned that mortality rates in those areas are “far above normal levels” and stated bluntly that “many people are starving”.
Although the most recent rainy season provided some relief, Bauer stressed that the crisis is not being driven by climate factors. Instead, he said, it is largely the result of persistent violence and severe cuts in humanitarian funding.
As a consequence of funding shortfalls, Bauer said the WFP has been forced to suspend assistance to around 300,000 children in Nigeria and may have to reduce support for half a million people in Cameroon.
Across the region, about 13 million children are expected to be at risk in 2026, underscoring the urgent need to prioritise nutrition programmes, he said.
The WFP estimates it will need US$453 million over the next six months to sustain essential aid operations and prevent further deterioration in food consumption and child nutrition indicators. - January 17, 2026